New Year, New You: Hit the gym

Whether you’re just starting out on your fitness journey or a seasoned workout warrior looking to try something new, you could easily find your new “home gym” in Plant City.

Sure, joining a gym for your new year’s fitness resolution is extremely common and those rumors of nearly every gym ever getting crazy packed during the first two months of the year are true. But that shouldn’t keep anyone from giving it a shot, especially if the gym experience is more likely to be up your alley than signing up for weekly classes would be. Plant City has plenty of options available to fill just about any need you’re looking for.

If you’re just starting out in a gym, it’s hard to find a better deal than Planet Fitness. You can join for as low as $10 per month and use a huge facility with plenty of cardio machines to go around and guided workout programs at nearly every corner. Planet Fitness also prides itself on being an international “judgement-free zone” where beginners are welcomed with open arms and anyone acting obnoxious gets the “lunk alarm” treatment. The gym offers a “black card” membership with free tanning, massage, discounts and a slew of other perks for $21.99 per month.

Anytime Fitness may have one of the smallest spaces in Plant City, but that’s where the 24-hour gym’s similarities to a hotel’s fitness center end. The gym has equipment for just about any workout plan, including a TRX station, as well as virtual cardio, yoga and other classes available anytime in their own room separate from the gym’s main area. Owner Richard Ryan is frequently on-site and contributes to a friendly community atmosphere. It’s also a short walk away from Southern Muscle and Hibbett Sports.

Limitless Fitness is tucked away behind Big Lots and is therefore easy to miss if you’re not looking for it, but no one’s mistaking the gym for a hole in the wall. Owner Tolga Senel took over in 2015 and took what was previously Fitness for $10 to the next level. Limitless makes use of every inch of its two-story space with free weights, machines, areas for Zumba and other classes, tanning and more. You can also get your coffee fix at Uno Mas Café, which also offers protein shakes, smoothies and food on-site. Limitless’s “New Year Resolution Special” is also the most affordable limited-time deal in the area: it covers two people for $25 per month with no contract.

The Plant City Family YMCA is a popular place to be for people of all ages. The local Y’s workout floor isn’t the biggest in town, but the facility makes up for it with the only indoor basketball court in town, a full-size swimming pool and a ton of classes and programs to keep members on their toes at all times. Nobody is more family-friendly than the Y, which offers plenty of activities year-round to keep kids moving and playing and getting healthy.

CrossFit Plant City brings one of the most popular workout programs in the country to a local converted warehouse. These high-intensity, full-body workouts combine traditional weightlifting and cardio with gymnastics in an environment designed specifically for them, and CrossFitters are always quick to encourage each other to keep pushing. Classes are offered six days a week during the morning, afternoon and evening and Unlimited members can attend as many as they want at any time.

No list of Plant City gyms is complete without Power Shop Fitness, which had several different names since the 1970s but has operated under the current name and ownership for almost 29 years. The downtown gym embraces its “old school” identity and focuses primarily on weight training, though it does offer options for cardio and has a regular suite of personal trainers who work with clients on-site for all fitness needs. The gym offers low-cost monthly memberships with no contracts and has an established, friendly community of members.